Is there anyone on the board that has Havanese and birds? In particular large birds like parrots. We have two parakeets but I would really like to get a Molucan cockatoo. I am not sure how that would work with Nina. She does not seem to mind the parkeets too much but I have anxiously kept them sepperated. Before Nina came the paprakeets would be free down stairs nearly daily. I clip their wings so at times they fly and at other times they don't. They spend way more time in their cage then they used to since Nina arived but seem overal OK. I think mostly because there is two of them. If I would get the cockatoo I would definitely only get one and he would need atleast two hours or so outside of his cage daily. Is it possible to have a large bird like a cockatoo/parrot and a small dog like my Nina, 7 lb. Nina is now 7 1/2 months old.

Good question! I have always wanted an African Gray...I think my girls would attack at this point...and Grays live so long, it would outlive me at this point, which I don't want to have it attached to me and then have to go somewhere stange...but I hate to live my life having never had one!

We have a green rumped parrotlet, so she is not a large bird. But. She is fully flighted, and is loose for several hours daily. Kodi pays no attention to her at all... The cat is afraid of her

Linda, mom to Augie and Finn has parrots too, and I believe hers are larger ones. So hopefully she can answer. Your questions. Think long and hard though, not in relationship to your Hav, but about the committment to a large parrot in general. They are very long-lived birds, and a huge commitment. Few people are willing and/or able to give them the kind of care they need and deserve for 50 or more years. Even our little Sunny, who will most likely "only" live about 20 years is a big committment. As much as I enjoy her, she's also a fair amount of work, and pretty noisey... And she's WAY less noisy and demanding than the big ones are.

Good question! I have always wanted an African Gray...I think my girls would attack at this point...and Grays live so long, it would outlive me at this point, which I don't want to have it attached to me and then have to go somewhere stange...but I hate to live my life having never had one!

Ooohhh don't think that way. I definitely don't think you should not have one because it will outlive you.That seems to be the way it is with parrots. They own different humans. The ones I am looking at are older birds and for different reasons they are being rehomed or in rescue. The one I like the most has been for 17 yrs with the same family. Still all of them could outlive me easily. One of my young children is a true bird lover so he would most likely inherit any birds. One of my 14 yr old DD's has already claimed Nina if I happen to go before Nina goes. LOL It is good to know she is loved.

We have a green rumped parrotlet, so she is not a large bird. But. She is fully flighted, and is loose for several hours daily. Kodi pays no attention to her at all... The cat is afraid of her

Linda, mom to Augie and Finn has parrots too, and I believe hers are larger ones. So hopefully she can answer. Your questions. Think long and hard though, not in relationship to your Hav, but about the committment to a large parrot in general. They are very long-lived birds, and a huge commitment. Few people are willing and/or able to give them the kind of care they need and deserve for 50 or more years. Even our little Sunny, who will most likely "only" live about 20 years is a big committment. As much as I enjoy her, she's also a fair amount of work, and pretty noisey... And she's WAY less noisy and demanding than the big ones are.

quote-Few people are willing and/or able to give them the kind of care they need and deserve for 50 or more years.-quote

So true and I would have a plan in place for her as I do for my children, Nina the Havanese and parakeets. I very much doubt I will have 50 more yrs. The bird I am mainly looking at is 17 and the people that own him have had him from baby time. I have a friend that has 2 parrots, one a bare eyed cockatoo. So I am pretty familiar with parrots. Also when I grew up my neighbor had one in Europe. Very rare and it was the only one I knew of in a private home there. Parrots and cockatoo also vary a lot and I know which ones would not be right for the family. I like African Greys a lot but we have a very large family and African Greys are typically one person parrots. But thank you for reminding me and pointing out very important points and concerns when aquiring a parrot. It seems like me you are a bird lover too.

quote-Few people are willing and/or able to give them the kind of care they need and deserve for 50 or more years.-quote

So true and I would have a plan in place for her as I do for my children, Nina the Havanese and parakeets. I very much doubt I will have 50 more yrs. The bird I am mainly looking at is 17 and the people that own him have had him from baby time. I have a friend that has 2 parrots, one a bare eyed cockatoo. So I am pretty familiar with parrots. Also when I grew up my neighbor had one in Europe. Very rare and it was the only one I knew of in a private home there. Parrots and cockatoo also vary a lot and I know which ones would not be right for the family. I like African Greys a lot but we have a very large family and African Greys are typically one person parrots. But thank you for reminding me and pointing out very important points and concerns when aquiring a parrot. It seems like me you are a bird lover too.

Yes, I have had birds of one sort or another since I was a small child. Every one has been for life, and that is the only way I would have it. (barring unforseen accident/illness, of course) even small parrots/parrotlets are very, very bright. They CAN adjust to a new home if they must, but it certainly isn't ideal, and IMO, isn't in their best interests. This is one of the reasons you see so much self-mutilation and other abnormal behaviors among captive psittacines.

I have a smaller parrot - a male red-bellied parrot, and two male cockatiels. My birds are full flighted and I will admit that they haven't enjoyed as much outside of cage time as they did before the Havs came to live. I had the birds first and in my search for dog breeds that got along well with other pets, including birds, the Havanese came up. Augie and Finn still seem a little too interested in the birds when they are flying around the house and so I usually crate them when the birds are out or monitor them very closely. I do agree with Karen's comment that people should really give a lot of thought and consideration before acquiring a parrot. Even cleaning the cages for my smaller birds is a huge undertaking. Also the bigger the bird, the bigger the mess they seem to make. At least you have a plan, Anna6, on who would inherit the care of your birds should the need arise. Gabe, my red belly, is a hoot - but had I to do it over again?? Not so sure. Mostly because they are so long lived, and the more I think about it these days, I think birds should be able to fly out and about in the wild.

Gabe, my red belly, is a hoot - but had I to do it over again?? Not so sure. Mostly because they are so long lived, and the more I think about it these days, I think birds should be able to fly out and about in the wild.

Particularly the big ones... I think if you are committed to it, you can give the little ones adequate "out time", and just because of their size, if you are willing to, you can give them adequate cage space to move around even there. But our 6" parrotlet has a specially made, (because of the need for closely spaced bars) powder coated welded steel cage that is the size that you typically see sold for Macaws. This is LOTS of room for her to climb around, though even in that size cage, she can't really fly and exercise her pectoral muscles. But I would HATE to see a large parrot in a cage that size. Even loose in the house, a large parrot really doesn't have the space to really fly, where Sunny can (and DOES!!!) zip after us from room to room as we move through the house.

Which brings up another point... another thing that shortens the life span of many parrots is having their wings kept clipped, so being unable to fly and exercise as nature intended. If their pectoral muscles aren't strong, it cuts down on their lung capacity, and predisposes them to lung diseases, which are a major killer of captive birds anyway. It's fine to clip the wings of a young bird, while you are taming it, but then, IMO, captive birds should be left flighted, and given ample time and space to exercise those wings.

The lung issues and air-borne diseases in birds is another thing to consider. I will NOT take my birds to a place that boards birds where they could easily pick something up. I have been really fortunate to have a very reliable neighbor girl (young woman now) who really likes them and comes in to change water, feed, visit with them, and clean up after them when we go somewhere.

Our avian vet had also told me that it is healthier for the birds if they can fly for exercise. I dream of having a sun room with a tree for my birds and easy to clean floors with a drain in the room. When I win the lottery! Haha I just think of how I would feel if some creature of another species decided he/she/it would keep me in a room somewhere, never to be allowed out to visit others of my kind, hike in the woods, walk the beach, go to garden shows, buy quilt fabric, whatever.

Our birds do race through the house, screeching. But it still isn't the same as soaring over the trees - free to fly wherever. They don't have to worry about a hawk picking them off though.

I must say that after having these birds, I look at the wild birds outside in a different way. They have their own personalities and it is fun to watch their interactions. Birds are just like us or our Havs, in that two of the same kind (cockatiels) can have such different personalities.

Hmmm well since all the birds I am looking at are older I am pretty sure they are permanently clipped. Nothing I can do about that. We do have a lot of space both in and outside. when I was in the highlands of Central America I saw flocks of Macaws flying by the hundreds out of the tops of jungle trees. I count it as one of the most beautiful things I have seen in my life. Nothing like a Macaw or any bird stuck in a cage. Gosh you people make me feel bad now for even having our budgies. So what size bird is OK to have and what size not because many cockatoos and parrots are not that large compared to other captive birds? A red bellied parrot is 9 inches and a cockatoo is 12-24 inches depending on type of cockatoo. The Timneh African Grey is small 9-11 in. and is my original choice but I do not believe that would be good for our family. My friends bare eyed cockatoo is not super large at all. Goffin's cockatoo's are 12-13 in. and live about 30 yrs. Is that still too large? Oh by the way my friend with the two parrots could baby sit. Her husband worked with a bird rescue place before too.

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